Re: Advise please on how to check power steering fluid and top it off if need be

I thought this would be a breeze, but I ended up unsure of what to do, so I haven't done anything yet.

I bought power steering fluid and an engine air filter. Opened the rear lid to expose the engine area, replaced the air filter (as I have done before), but I was flummoxed with what to do with the power steering reservoir. It's a 2008s, but I have not checked or tried to top off the power steering fluid until today. I checked the owner's manual - no help; and I checked Pedro's garage, but didn't find anything there; searched this board (if there is something here, I missed it); and checked the web, but that only showed what to do for 1997-2004.

With the engine bay open, I assumed the blue top on the passenger side was the power steering reservoir. But, it is not labeled, so I was not even sure what it was, but I can't think of any other fluid for the car (gas, oil, coolant, power steering fluid covers it all I think). The fluid in this reservoir was a different color than the liquid in my bottle, but that may not mean anything. What was quite odd was there wasn't a stick on the bottom of the top with which to measure the level (as in the video I found for 1997-2004). I looked inside with a flashlight and saw a line. The fluid level was about 1/4 inch below this line, but I have no idea whether or not this is the proper line to top off to.

So, my questions are:

For 2008's, is the power steering reservoir on the passenger side inside the engine bay?
And if this is it, how do you determine what level the fluid should be when cold?

Thanks in advance,
Bob

Dude - You're scaring me, perhaps consider a professional mechanic to keep you from making an expensive mistake? And remember that brake fluid (which you didn't list) is perhaps super important too!

Here's a thread on the topic, but in short, blue cap is coolant, and black cap is power steering. Here's a diagram from the same post.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2015 09:57PM by jlegelis. (view changes)

Thanks, that helps a lot. Yes, I scare myself when it comes to working on cars. Screwed up too many times, so I have pros do all the work now except for a few things like the air filter. Why pay shop rates for the time and effort to open the engine bay only to replace the air filter? Now, I'll go back in and find the black cap and check the powering steering level.

Interesting that there is a second portal for coolant. I top that off as needed (and oil) using the portals in the rear trunk, so I guess the engine bay coolant opening is used when the system needs to be flushed.

There's a dipstick connected to the cap. On one side of the dipstick is the "cold" level, on the other the "warm" level. Make sure the car is relatively level. Wipe the dipstick, screw the cap all the way back on, unscrew it, and check the level on the appropriate side. Top off as necessary.

a pressure relief valve can fail. When it does excessively high pressure fluid is supplied to the steering rack. This forces fluid out of the rack seals. The dust boots capture the fluid so there is no sign of a fluid leak other than the power steering fluid level dropping. Usually the owner doesn't know the fluid level is low until he brings the car in for what proves to be a noisy steering pump but by this time the damage has been done.

Check the fluid and be sure you do not over fill if the fluid level is truly low. But if the fluid is low you should have the car lifted up and a leak searched for. Among other places the tech should check the steering rack and the dust boots to see if they are full of fluid.